Renault R 35, R 39 and R 40

Description

The Renault R 35 was a light infantry-support tank
that entered
service with the French army in 1936. It was intended to
replace
the WW1 vintage FT-17 tank,
but not all were so replaced. With over 1,000 vehicles, the R 35 was
the most numerous French tank in service in 1940. Starting in 1939, a
few of these tanks were equipped with the longer SA38 gun and called R
39. Production of an
improved model, the R 40, was started in 1940.

R 35 tank in 12mm by Pithead Miniatures.
Note the air identification roundel painted on the turret cupola.

Development

The development plan of 1926 called for a cheap mass-produced light
tank to replace the Renault FT-17.
Renault developed the Char D1
to fulfil these requirements, but it was
neither cheap nor particularly light (being classed as a medium tank).
Following the combined exercises of 1932 and 1933, a plan was created
inviting French industry to tender designs. Seventeen
companies responded, five
submitted prototypes of which three were taken into
production: Hotchkiss H 35, Renault
R 35 and the FCM 36. There
was great rivalry
between Hotchkiss
and Renault, and in the end the Hotchkiss tank was adopted by
the cavalry and the Renault tank by the infantry.

The first prototype was manufactured by Renault at the end of 1934 and
was based upon Renault's AMR 35.
An initial order was placed in
May 1935 for 300 examples under the name of char léger
modéle 1935-R (R-35), the first of which entered service in
June 1936.

The R 35 was a light tank designed for use by the
infantry just as the Hotchkiss
H 35 was designed for the cavalry. The
Hotchkiss and the Renault were rather alike in appearance, but can
easily be told apart; 6 wheels on the Hotchiss and 5 on the Renault. As
would be expected of an infantry tank, the R 35 had better
armour protection but a slower speed than the H 39.

The R 35 had an APX-R turret armed with the short
barrelled 37mm SA18
gun.

R 35 tanks advancing.
Note: The commanders sitting on the hatch in the rear of the
turret and
drivers with hatch open. This gave my better visibility but when in
combat the tank was closed
up and visibility greatly restricted.

Development R 39

It was decided that the R 35 needed a better anti-tank
capability and in 1939 the R 35 mle 1939 (often abriviated to R 39)
replaced the R 35. The R 39 was identical to the R 35 except that it
had an
APX-R1
turret armed
with the longer barrelled 37mm SA38 which had a better anti-tank
capability. A total of 350 SA38 guns were installed in the R 39, H 35
and H 39; this being a very small percentage of the available tanks,
and generally only enough to equip the platoon leader's vehicle.

R 39 from Pithead.
Made with the body from an R 35 and the turret from a H35 with SA 38.

Development R 40

Development of the R 35 continued and in April 1940
production started of the R 35 mle 1940 (often abriviated to R 40). It
was developed by the
Atelier de Construction d’Issy-les-Moulineaux (AMX). The
R 40 had the long 37mm in APX-R1 turret. It also had a new and
better
suspension giving a higher top speed and a better cross country
performance and was protected by armoured skirting plates. Some R 40
tanks had unditching tails like those on the old Renault FT-17. Unlike the
earlier R 35 and R 39, the R 40 had radios installed. Very few were
produced before the war
ended.

No example of the the R 40 survives, so technical details are
hard
to find and contradictory. The technical data given below is the best I
can surmise.

R 40 tank.

Operation

The commander entered the vehicle by a hatch in the back of
the turret. Once in the vehicle, he stood on the floor with his top
half in the turret.

The commander was very overworked in the one-man turret.
Apart from directing the driver and keeping in touch with other tanks
in his unit (by flags) the commander was also the main gunner
and loader. So in action he would have his head in the
cupola directing the driver, he would then have to spot the
target and jump down into the turret when he would load with the
correct ammunition, rotate the turret by hand onto the target, peer
through the gun-sight and set the range, finally fire the gun.

The turret had a cupola where most other tanks would have a
turret hatch as well as three episcopes in the turret walls. The
commander could not raise his head out of the turret
and thus had a more restricted view than was possible for German tank
commanders who often when into battle so. When captured and used by the
German Army the cupola was modified by cutting away the top
and installing a two-door hatch. This gave the commander much improved
visibility.

The driver sat in the hull on the left, the right half and
rear of which was taken up by the engine and
transmission. He had a hatch in
front of him which was usually left open when the tank moved behind the
lines but which would have been suicidal to have open in combat when he
relied on an observation slit and a episcope which necessitated
detailed instructions from the commander.

Being intended for an infantry support role, these tanks were
mostly
equipped with HE rounds, with only enough AP rounds to be able to
defend themselves against enemy tanks (approx 12 AP rounds). The
battalions assigned to the DCRs had almost half their rounds AP because
of their role against enemy tanks.

843 captured tanks were taken over by the Germans, being used
among other
things as artillery tractors and ammunition carriers (without their
turrets)
or as self-propelled anti-tank gun mounts.
They were also used to train tank drivers; it was one such training
unit that on D-Day
was among the first to oppose the US airborne landings
near Sainte-Mère-Église. They supported an
infantry
counterattack and penetrated
as far as thee command post of the 1st Battalion 505th
Parachute Infantry Regiment before being destroyed by bazooka
fire.

Three R 35 from Pithead advance accross the wargames table!

Radio

The R 35 and R 39 at had no radio, except for the
24th BCC
which
was part of the 4th DCR. All R 40 tanks had radios
installed. These ER
54 mle 1938 radios was
especially designed for use in light
tanks and were a modified version of the infantry's ER 40 with
an effective voice range of 800m. It is not sure how effective
these radios were, there being no radio operator, they just added to
the
over-worked tank commander's heavy burden.

Deployment

The Renault R 35 light tanks normally equipped the
independant tank battalions (BCC), these being spread
throughout the armies for infantry support duties.
Because there were insuficient Hotchkiss tanks, two battalions of
R 35
tanks were posted to Reserve Armoured
Divisions (DCR)
.

10th May 1940

When the Germans's attacked the French army had the
following Renault R 35 (including R 39) tanks on active service.
900 were in
France and 125 abroad. There were no R 40 tanks in service on 10th May.